Wednesday, July 20, 2005

Morrison Seeking 3 Year Deal

The agent of Brendan Morrison, Kurt Overhardt, was quoted in the Vancouver Province saying "Our agreement was when there's a new system we'd work in good faith to get a multi-year deal done. The goal is a three-year deal."

So how much money will Morrison be looking for? Morrison was schedule to make $3.55 million last season, which translates to $2.69 million under a 24% rollback. At this point it is difficult to determine what the market will be under the new CBA. If I was Morrison I would probably be seeking something in the range of a 3 year $10 million dollar deal.

Is that too much for the Canucks? I don't think so. You would be hard pressed to find a replacement for any less. Morrison has been the number one center on one of the top lines in hockey and on one of the top teams in the NHL. He played very well down the stretch after the Bertuzzi suspension and he was one of best North American players to play in Europe during the lockout. It's difficult to say that Morrison is not a number one NHL center. As a number one center $3 million is certainly fair, especially for a hometown boy who could potentially be your next captain.

With the possibility of Morrison becoming an unrestricted free agent next season, Dave Nonis would be wise to lock him up now.

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